Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp., Gaffney, S.C., has introduced its MT-45 Straight Rail (SR) diesel chassis, a new version of the MT-45, a diesel chassis for the walk-in van industry.

According to Dean Schaper, director of sales and marketing, the MT-45 SR was developed as a direct result of customer input.
The significant difference between the MT-45 and MT-45 SR is in the new chassis' straight-rail frame. The eight-inch steel straight-rail frame is designed to enhance the chassis' overall strength and reliability.
The MT-45 SR is a medium-duty chassis offering a gross vehicle weight rating of between 14,140 and 19,000 lbs. It can accept bodies of up to 22 feet in load length and volumes of up to 950 cubic feet. Its payload capacity is 10,000 pounds. All of this makes the MT-45 SR ideal for applications requiring large volumes and heavy goods.
As advanced as the MT-45 SR is, it retains the quality and many of the prior MT-45's features, creating a chassis that excels in the 14,000-pound to 19,000-pound GVW walk-in van market.
A major advantage of the MT-45 SR is its 50-degree wheel cut, which makes the chassis highly maneuverable, allowing for a tighter turning radius and contributing to quicker delivery stops.
Also standard on the MT-45 SR chassis is the Mercedes-Benz MBE900 170-hp diesel engine, known for its fuel efficiency and superior lifecycle durability.
Other features of the MT-45 SR include multiplex instrumentation wiring with full diagnostics, which also reduces maintenance durations; an Allison 1000 Series automatic transmission for smooth, precise shifting and better fuel economy; a heavy-duty, long-life TRW steering column; and, to speed up maintenance, easy access to engine components.
Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp. manufactures chassis for the motor home, delivery walk-in van, school bus and shuttle bus markets. It is a subsidiary of Freightliner LLC, which produces and markets Class 3-8 vehicles under the Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star, American LaFrance and Thomas Built Buses nameplates and is a company of DaimlerChrysler.
For more details, Freightliner Custom Chassis at www.freightlinerchassis.com